Rolling-mill feed mechanism.



No. 887,582. PATENTBD MAY 12, 1908. G. W. BRAY & J. PBAT. ROLLING MILL FEED MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION TILED MAY 22, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR WITH IBSIS I No. 887,582. PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. G. W. BRAY & J. PEAT.

ROLLING MILL FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3 WITNESSES INVEN'I'OR rolls 3. The fingers slide the;

provide up osite grippers 16.

UNITED sTA s PATENT OEEIOE.

OHARLEs W. BRA-Y AND JAMES PEAT, or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIerioRs To AMERICAN TIN PLATE COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

ROLLING-MILL FEED MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed May 22, 1903. Serial No. 158,220.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, CHARLES W. BRAY and JAMES PEAT, both of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Penns lvania, have invented 5 a new and useful R01 ing-Mill Feed Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom 'anying drawin s, forming part of this speci cation, in whic Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of our .improved feed mechanism; Fig. 2 is a to plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an en ,elevation showing the guides and slide connections, and Figs. 4 and-5 are detail views.

Our invention relates to the feeding of plates, such as tin plate bars, which asthey issue from the rollsare too short to be received directly u on an ordinary feed table;

and the object o the invention is to provide 20, means for positively moving such plates forward to and from the rolls.

.In the drawings, 2, 2 represent a set of rolls of a continuous mill, and 3, 3 a succeeding set arranged in tandem therewith.

25 Between these sets of: rolls is a feed-table which we have shown as having endless sprocket-chains 4, 4 movable over end sprocket-wheels 5, the shaft 6 of one pair of wheels having at one end a inion 7 en aging 30 a toothed wheel 8, intermes iing with t e upper toothed wheel 9 mounted on 'a' shaft 10 carrying: an end sprocket-wheel 11 driven by a sproc et chain- 12 from the shaft of the lower roll 3.

The chains are provided with pairs of fingers or upwardly projecting lugs 13, of which we have shown two pairs, so that at each revolution of the chain two plates will be positively forced forward into the bite of the lates or bars forwardly over the horizontal table guides 14, and bell-mouthed side guides 15 are also preferably used leadingto the .bite of the .--rolls 3, inorder to keep the plates square as '45 they enter.

' As the plates or bars emerge from the rolls 2 they drop upon the guide 14; and to ositively feed them forward to a position w iere ,they will be engaged by the chain fingers, we

These grippers depen from Slll es 17 secured to the ower ends of pins or bolts 18 which extend through slots 19 in a longitudinally moving slide 20 which extends across the space between the roll housings. The slots 1!) exslides 23 embracin the slide 20.

or slide 20 18 provided with slots to receive tend toward each other across the slide 20 and to their pins 18 are pivoted the links 21, the inner ends of which are pivoted to pins 22 which extend through the ends of forked The plate the ins 22, which slots are at an angle, preferab y. a right angle, to the slots 19. The slides 23 are connected by links 24 to the lower ends of levers 25 pivoted at their upper ends to a rock-shaf t 26, pivoted in end brackets 27' mounted on the housings. These levers are. oscillated by links 28 connecting their intermediate portions to a crank 29' upon the shaft 10, which is driven from the roll 3.

The main slide 20 is carried in guideways 30 secured to the inner faces of the housings of rolls 2 and moved between brass liners 31. The up er of these liners is pressed down yielding y by springs 32, the tension of which maybe adjusted by set-screws 33. The

friction of the main slides may thus be adj usted to regulate the gripping pressure upon the ends of the plate or bar. The gri pers 16 are preferably provided with vertically extendin knives or sharp edges 34 of steel or suitable material.

For feeding the plates positit'ely to the rolls 2, 2, we employ swinging levers 35, pivoted at 35 and oscillated by a link 36. These levers carry at their lower ends pivoted,

gravity catches 37, each of which is capable of a forward pivotal motion, as shown by dotted lines, but is stopped from backward motion ,by engagement with the lever.

Theplates are delivered by the usual conveyer 39 within the range of motion of the levers 35, and as these levers swing back the catches 37 slip idly over the plate, but in their forward motion they engage the rear edge of the plate and move it forward positively into the bite oi'- the rolls. As the levers on both sides of the rolls reciprocate together they do not interfere with each other, and the piece is delivered from the rolls as the levers 25 are receding. As the feeding levers are feeding a piece to the rolls, the levers 25 are transmitting the preceding piece toward the second set of rolls.

The parts are so timed that after the plate has been delivered by the rolls 2, the grippers will seize it and move it forward just after one set of fingers has passed the grippers moving the preceding bar forward; and at this time the rocking of the levers 25 by means of the crank-shaft will. exert a pul upon the forked slides 23. This pull will tend to pull the grippers toward each other and also to pull the main slides 20 forwardly; and by regulating the friction between the edges' of this slide and its guideways, we can regulate 'the gripping pressure so that the grips will be drawn toward each other and 1 matic and are carried p and grippers main slide begins to move.

mechanism, as well as engage the side edges of the bar before the The further movement of the levers pulls the main slide forwardly, thus carrying the bar forward until it is in a position to be engaged by the other set of chain fingers. The crank-shaft then moves the levers back and first opens the grips which move back to their normal inoperative position, and then pushes the main slide back to its normal position ready to engage the next bar as it emerges from the rolls 2. i

The advantages of our invention result from the supplemental mechanism for positively engaging and forcing the bar forward to the driven feed mechanism. In the form shown, the grippers also square up and center the plate; and the movements are autoout without hand con trol.

Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the supplemental feed the main feed table, from our invention.

without departing We claim:

1. The combination with rolls, of a transfer device, grippers arranged to engage opposite side edges of the metal, and mechanism for moving the grippers bodily with the metal to move the latter to the action of the transfer device; substantially as described.

2. The combination with rolls, of a delivery table at the receiving side thereof, grippers arranged to engage the side edges of the metal after it has left the rolls, means for moving said grippers horizontally toward and from each other, and means for moving the grippers forwardly to carry the metal bodily away from the rolls toward the delivery table; substantially as described. i Y I 3. The combination with rolls, of pushers on the entry side thereof, and positive reciprocating receiving mechanism on the receiving side thereof, said mechanisms being connected to act in a certain time relation to each other; substantially as described.

4. The combination with a pair of rolls, of a positively driven receiving table on its exit side, and reciprocating feeding mechanlsm between the receiving table and the rolls for carrying the metal from the rolls to theaction of the receiving table; substantially as described.

5. The combination with rolls, of. a positively driven feed table leading from their exit side, grippers arranged to engage the, A from the rolls, and mechan metal emerging ism arranged to actuate the grippers and move them with the metal forwardly to the feed table; substantially as described.

6. The combination with rolls, of a positively driven feed table leading therefrom,

and mechanism arranged to move the metal to the feed table, said mechanism comprising grippers mounted upon a support, means for opening and closing the grippers, and means for moving the support back and forth; substantially as described.

7. The combination with rolls, feeding mechanism at the entry side thereof, a table leading from the rolls, and mechanism intermediate the rolls and table for moving the metal to the table, and actuating connections for the intermediate mechanism and for the feeding mechanism, said connections being common to both mechanisms and being arranged to cause the operation of the two mechanisms ina certain time relation to each other; substantially as described.

8. The combination with rolls, of a stationary carrier table leading therefrom, and

nrechamsm for transferring the metal from the rolls to the carrier, said mechanism having means for gripping the sheet, actuating connections for moving the gripping means bodily with the sheet and then release the sheet and return the gripping means;v substantially as described.

9. The combination with rolls, of a stae.

tionary carriertable, mechanism for transferring the metal from the rolls to the carrier, said mechanism having means for gripping the side edges of the metal, mechanism for moving the gripper bodily with the metal, feeding -mechanism for the rolls, and connections between the feeding mechanism and the transfer mechanism whereby they are operated in time relation to each other; substan tially as described. 4

10. The combination with a pair of rolls,

of a positively-driven table at the receiving side of the rolls,

supplementary mechanism for moving the metal to the said table after it has left the rolls, said mechanism having grippers arranged .to grasp opposite side edges of the sheet moved, and connections for actuating. the supplementary mechanism; substantially as described.

11. The combination with a pair of rolls, of a positivelydriven feed table at the receiving side of the. rolls, a supplementary mechanism for moving the metal to said table, said mechanism comprising grippers, laterally movable slides carrying the grippers, a reciprocating main slide upon which the first-named slides are mounted, and means for actuating said slides; substantially as described.

12,. The combination with rolls, of a'posi tively driven feed table leading from the rolls, gri lpers arranged at the receiving side grasp the metal and move forwardly with it, of the re s and arranged to engage the oppoand a carrier which receives the metal from site edges of the metal, and mechanisms for I the grippers and carries it forwardly; subii opening and closing the grippers and for I stantially as described.

moving them bodily forward with the metal, In testimony whereof, we have hereunv:

to carry the metal .to the action of the table," i set our hands.

substantially as described. 13. Mechanism for transferring short pieces 1 of metal, comprising rolls, grippers at the receiving side of the rolls arranged to engage Witnesses:

opposite edges of the metal, and mechanism JouN MILLER,

for actuating said grippers to cause them to i H. M. CORWIN.

CHARLES W. Bun. JAMES PEA'l. 

